This month is a special time of year, so I wanted to touch on something a bit different from my usual fare. That said, of all the albums I associate with October and Halloween, for various reasons, one in particular sticks out like a bleeding red thumb on an otherwise mutilated fist: Cradle of Filth’s “Midian”. Released fittingly on October 31st, 2000, Midian is a towering gothic masterpiece resplendent with references to the modern master of horror, Clive Barker, whose films and books no doubt inspired much of Midian’s lyrical content, as well as its name.
I did not own Midian until about five or six years after its initial release, but after my initial discovery of the band, many fans and friends of mine recommended it to me as Cradle’s most exemplary work. To date, it remains near and dear to my heart. Dani’s trademark banshee wail and dizzying vocal patterns, ensorcelling lyrics, razor-sharp guitars, glistening keyboards, as well as Sara Jezebel Deva’s operatic vocals, and even participation from Doug Bradley of Hellraiser fame: all of these and more converge to form what was -and to this very day remains- a special, macabre glimpse into the world of the Nightbreed, a blood-stained soul sucking nightmare.
Listen and Support Cradle of Filth below:
Towers of Rust 